The Journey of Four Slate Gravestones

In May of 2008, the Rector Peter Chase blessed four early nineteenth century slate gravestones, which were recently returned to St. Mary’s cemetery by John Rodman, a member of the Board of Directors of the Newton Historical Society. John was cleaning out a garage in Newton where he found the stones. He realized the probable historic significance of the stones, photographed them, and brought the photos to Susan Abele, Curator of Manuscripts and Photographs at the Jackson Homestead for identification. Susan did research on the family names of Neal, Daniell and Mills, but could find no tie to any burials in the three historic Newton cemeteries.

Why the stones were removed from, or never set in, St. Mary’s cemetery will remain a mystery. What we do know is that they were discovered in 1965, in the house at 2321 Washington Street, by the Gale Construction Company. The house, adjacent to the church property, was being razed for the development of an apartment building on the lot owned from 1837 to 1905 by the Neal family. Two of the stones had the family name of Neal. From the house on Washington Street the stones were removed for safe keeping to the garage where John Rodman found them more than 40 years later!

The stones were made of local slate, carved and signed by A.A. Park, R.K. Park and J. Park of Groton and each bore one of the following inscriptions:

About St. Mary’s

Saint Mary’s is a multi-generational, family-friendly parish located near the Newton-Wellesley border in eastern Massachusetts, drawing members from surrounding communities including Weston, Sudbury, and beyond. We celebrate traditional Episcopal services in a relaxed atmosphere, complemented by strong music and youth Christian education programs. We also emphasize outreach to worthy causes our members feel strongly about, with initiatives in the local community as well as nationally and internationally.

Our church building and adjacent graveyard are over two hundred years old – we celebrated our 200th anniversary in 2013 – and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its physical beauty adds to our worship experience and our sense of community. More importantly, it reminds us that we are part of a heritage that goes back over two hundred years, and of a larger community that goes back nearly two thousand years.

We invite you to explore this site, as well as to visit our church, meet our people and learn more about our community.